JJ Abrams Producing Boilerplate Movie.

Paroxysm

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Is J.J. Abrams about to bring steampunk to the masses? Not quite, but Paramount has bought the rights to Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel, a graphic novel that tells of the world’s first robot, supposedly invented in the late 19th century. J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot will handle development of the film.

THR says that the graphic novel / picture book hybrid by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett was published last year, but doesn’t offer much more detail beyond the basic fact of Abrams’ and Bad Robot’s involvement. I can’t see how this would be a small movie like some of Bad Robot’s smaller development deals; to make the scope of this one come alive is going to require money as well as creative effort.

Here’s the Amazon description of the book:

Meet Boilerplate, the world’s first robot soldier—not in a present-day military lab or a science-fiction movie, but in the past, during one of the most fascinating periods of U.S. history. Designed by Professor Archibald Campion in 1893 as a prototype, for the self-proclaimed purpose of “preventing the deaths of men in the conflicts of nations,” Boilerplate charged into combat alongside such notables as Teddy Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia. Campion and his robot also circled the planet with the U.S. Navy, trekked to the South Pole, made silent movies, and hobnobbed with the likes of Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla.

You say you’ve never heard of Boilerplate before? That’s because this book is the fanciful creation of a husbandand-wife team who have richly imagined these characters and inserted them into accurate retellings of history. This full-color chronicle is profusely illustrated with graphics mimicking period style, including photos, paintings, posters, cartoons, maps, and even stereoscope cards. Part Jules Verne and part Zelig, it’s a great volume for a broad range of fans of science fiction, history, and robots.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/07/29/jj-abrams-producing-victorian-era-robot-movie/

Boilerplate rules! :up:
 
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I know that some people are jaded by the genre, but I never thought it had a fair share on the silver screen. There have been movies with 'elements' of steampunk (Miyazaki films) but nothing concrete.

Right now, it's more of a style than a real genre, and finally there's books like Boneshaker that are making it into a legit genre.
 
I know that some people are jaded by the genre, but I never thought it had a fair share on the silver screen. There have been movies with 'elements' of steampunk (Miyazaki films) but nothing concrete.

Right now, it's more of a style than a real genre, and finally there's books like Boneshaker that are making it into a legit genre.

It's been a genre since the 90's, books like The Difference Engine, Fitzpatrick's War solidified that. Boneshaker is adding to that.
 
I rofled when I read this headline at /film. I'm sure this project will be seet but it struck me as being kind of goofy
 
it'll only be goofy if the 'world building' and the tone aren't right. 'World building' meaning..building a world (haha) where something like this is acceptable. Like Inglourious Basterds.
 
The idea sounds very interesting, but at some point it reminds me of robotized version of Forrest Gump, lol.
 
Whoa cool. Maybe they can make the robot look similar to the Iron Giant.
 
I know that some people are jaded by the genre, but I never thought it had a fair share on the silver screen. There have been movies with 'elements' of steampunk (Miyazaki films) but nothing concrete.

Right now, it's more of a style than a real genre, and finally there's books like Boneshaker that are making it into a legit genre.

My gf is going to love this, she's a big fan of steampunk and as you said Octoberist, there really haven't been that many movies involving steampunk last time I checked.
 
I bet the guy in the black hat is thinking, "What the hell is in this whiskey?!"
 

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